Here’s what my mitumba business taught me...
While doing business in the ‘hood, I realised that perceptions can make or break one’s life.
It’s an open secret in these streets. I used to sell second-hand clothes. I had a stall in the ‘hood. The thing with such a business is that some people, and even the owner, may unknowingly turn it into a base.
In the ‘hood, a base is where boys chill to chat, holler at girls and listen to reggae music while chewing miraa. A base carries all sorts of characters, from nobodies, to boys who have more degrees than a thermometer, to baddies who have more bodies than the City Mortuary.
The thing with a base is that because it is a place where respect is traded, it can turn a nobody into a baddie. I have witnessed good guys tragically trade their legit hustles and lives for fool’s gold, and end up stacked up inside a cold drawer with a name tag on their toe.
Because I sold ladies’ clothes, my stall was always a beehive for women. I had a changing room, and my customers felt safe with me. Temptations were plenty. In such situations, if one is not careful, the lines between business and pleasure can be blurred in the time it takes a cute customer to try on a sexy fitting number that makes a man’s body lose rhyme and reason.
In some business places, you will find a sign that reads: “If you don’t have anything to do, don’t do it here.” Though I didn’t tell boys who just wanted to hang in my stall, I unofficially had this same rule at my business premises.
If you do not make it clear to your friends and you turn your venture into a base, you will not turn in any profit. Customers are sensitive. Many want to buy from a business where they feel safe from harassment of any form.
It may be hard to tell your friends to respect your business premise. You may be afraid they will think you have changed, and they will start calling you demeaning names.
However, in life, some hard decisions have to be made. Sometimes, it will mean cutting off friends and family. It will mean doing well-meaning things because of your future, at the risk of being misunderstood.
The flipside is, if you stand your ground, you will win the respect of your friends. In the ‘hood, you cannot afford to flinch or see-saw when making such decisions as you will be seen to be weak.
If you let your business to be turned into a base, it may bring your hustle a bad reputation. You cannot control what everyone is doing with their life. Some boys who are up to no good – or who are perceived to be - may hang out at your business premises.
While doing business in the ‘hood, I realised that perceptions can make or break one’s life. You could be doing legit business, but your association with the wrong crowd can cause some folks to believe your hustle is just a cover-up for a life of crime.
Sure, you cannot totally avoid being seen with some bad boys sometimes because these are folks you grew up with. But if you let everyone know that your premises is strictly for business and not a base, you will reduce the chances of wrong perceptions fomenting in the minds of people.
Even if starting small in the ‘hood, think big. And in the bigger picture, do you see your friends hanging around your big business in, say, the central business district? You must realise that to grow to another dimension, you will have to leave some faces and places behind. And it is better to start the pruning exercise while your hustle is still in its infancy than to wait until folks think they have every right to your blood, sweat and tears.
